Indiana completes late comeback to beat Syracuse, 4-3

The Orange scored two runs in the first inning, another in the second, but then, the offense went silent.

Syracuse (3-4) was unable to preserve a late 3-0 lead as Indiana (3-6) scored four unanswered in Durham, North Carolina. Indiana threatened in nearly every inning and finally broke the seal in the 6th, tying the game at three and then tacking on the game-winning run the next inning to split the weekend series with Syracuse.

The middle of Syracuse’s order helped it jump to an early 3-0 lead. Gabby Teran and Neli Casares-Maher set the table in the first with a single and a double, respectively. They were driven home on an RBI single from Rebecca Clyde.

Teran recorded her third multi-hit game of the young season with an RBI single to stretch the Orange’s early lead to 3-0 after two innings.

Alexa Romero got out of jam after jam in the early going for Syracuse, stranding eight Indiana runners in the first five innings. In the sixth, though, a Hannah Davis single preceded a home run from Desiree Dufek to cut the Orange’s lead to one. Indiana would get the tying run later in the inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Taylor Lambert.

Romero remained in the game for the seventh and surrendered a solo home run from Davis, the difference in Indiana’s win. Syracuse would threaten in the bottom half, but Teran was stranded at third base to end it.

Emily Goodin pitched a complete game for Indiana, who, after struggling early, silenced the Orange offense the rest of the way. After the second inning, Goodin retired 11 straight batters, including three straight 1-2-3 innings from the third inning to the sixth.

Goodin (3-4) struck out six and walked none in the win while Romero (3-1) tossed a complete game as well, striking out seven and walking two in her first loss of the season. The Hoosiers recorded 10 hits to the Orange’s seven and four Indiana batters achieved multi-hit games for Indiana.

Syracuse leaves Durham losing three of four, splitting its two games with Indiana while losing both to Rutgers. The Orange head to Houston next weekend in what will be a five-game set, featuring the opener against Texas Tech on Friday at 4:30 P.M.